The Light
by CrystalQueen187
Summary: We all know Batman goes on a ton of adventures. But now he's going on his most exciting adventure yet, raising a child. We all the know the story of how Batman got his first Robin. But what about in the Gotham continuity? These are short little stories about Bruce raising Dick Grayson in the Gotham universe.
1. The murder

Bruce Wayne had agreed to fund a charity event in a Hallie's Circus. Of course, that was before he realized he would be given a free ticket to the show. Why not go? It should have been fun.

It was true he did enjoy the first half of the show. Seeing a circus was a rather nice contrast to his usual nighttime activities. Bruce was straining his neck staring up at the acrobats flipping and dancing high above the audience. One of them was a kid, around 12 or so, doing a fantastic job.

Bruce smiled seeing how much fun the boy was having. So young and full of joy and energy. The child was careful, sure. But with his loving family he flipped and swung not a care in the world.

_When's the last time I was that carefree? That happy? _wondered Bruce. _Was I ever? Definitely not since my parents died all those years ago…_

Someone's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Famous for performing acrobatics without the aid of a safety net, may I introduce, The Flying Graysons!"

Bruce clapped and tried to ignore the poor grammar. All the acrobats except the two parents and child left as the safety net below was untied and moved away. Bruce wondered if it was legal for the boy to perform without a safety net, until their performance started and Bruce saw the youngest Grayson was not in the dangerous tricks.

Bruce smiled and continued to enjoy their show. It was quite a nice night in Gotham for Bruce.

That's when the unthinkable happened. The ropes on the trapeze came loose while the mother and father were mid swing. Bruce saw the scene unfold in slow motion. Two Graysons falling through the air until they finally hit the hard ground, while the son's soul splitting scream filled the air.

Bruce sat stunned, unable to move, or really think. Horrible flashbacks came back to him, but he forced them out. He wasn't the important one at that moment. Two acrobats lay dead on the ground. In the center of a circus.

"Noooooo!" screamed their son. Bruce's heart ripped in two. This couldn't be happening. It shouldn't be happening. But it was happening. Bruce was watching another kid in the same position as he was, so many years ago.

The difference was Bruce had been alone with his parents on a cold dark night. They walked through an empty alley to catch a cab. The only witness had been a random street kid hidden on a fire escape. She _had_ grown up to be Catwoman/his on-off lover, but that was beside the point.

The Graysons had been killed in front of an entire circus audience. And their son was on display for the entire horrified crowd.

Bruce Wayne had been a witness! How was he supposed to live with himself having watched it happen? Part of the reason he'd become Batman was so he could prevent a tragedy like the one that happened to him from happening to anyone else. Yet here he was looking at another orphan who'd watched his parents die when he was a child.

Someone pulled the boy away while others ushered people out of the seats. Bruce knew it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't do nothing. He had to be the hero Gotham deserved all the time. That night he knew he had to be whatever the boy needed.

He ran through his head everything that happened that night after his parents were killed. He'd called 911, the cops showed up, he sat in the corner crying and then...

He stopped when he got to the part where Jim had shown up.

Bruce wasn't leaving. He quietly and quickly slipped out of the crowd and waited in a dark corner. The chaotic crowd continued to empty out. Bruce scanned the circus for the boy. He knew someone needed to talk to the young Grayson.

* * *

**A/N So this story is going to be a series of little snippets of Bruce raising Dick Grayson in the Gotham universe. I'm tempted to use the term "oneshot" but they are connected to eachother and supposedly happened in _A Visit To Tomorrow _but don't think you need to read that story to understand any of these.**

**Also, only half the chapter copy and pasted the first time so this is re-uploaded. That's why you might've seen a similar story with the same description but a different title, which has now been deleted.**


	2. Someone who knows how you feel

Dick was alone crying in a corner. Sirens blared and drowned out the sound of his sobbing. This couldn't be happening. His mom and dad they….they couldn't be gone!

He tried to convince himself it was a dream. It was hallucinations. It was a horrible nightmare. But,as hard as Dick tried he couldn't fool himself.

His grandparents had all died before he was born or when he was very young. He had one uncle in a vegetable state whom he'd never really got to know. It wasn't that Dick didn't want any extended family, but he'd always had everything he needed from his parents.

He'd never had any brothers and sisters, no pets, no grandparents, no aunts and uncles, just his mother and father. And now they were dead.

Dick clung to the little robin bracelet in his hand and let the tears fall. His mother's favorite animal had been robins. He'd bought the bracelet at a gift shop last month. Dick had been planning to give it to her for her birthday that was supposed to come in two weeks.

Now his mother's birthday wouldn't be coming in two weeks, or ever again. He would never have the chance to give the bracelet to her. Dick was never going to see her again.

He would never get to tell her how much he loved her, what a great mother she'd been, that he was so sorry, how badly he would miss her, that he forgave her for everything he'd ever been mad at her for. He couldn't tell her any of that.

Dick realized that he would never even see his parents smile again. They couldn't comfort him the way the used to. They couldn't teach him new tricks for the trapeze. They couldn't even just give him a hug. They were gone. And Dick was all alone.

* * *

Bruce slowly sat down next to the boy. "I'm Bruce Wayne" said Bruce. "What's your name?" The child kept crying. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to".

"I'm-D-dick Grayson" coughed the kid.

"Okay, Dick. Just breath," said Bruce "everything will be okay". Then Dick started crying hysterically.

"No it won't"

"What?" asked Bruce.

W-why didn't I…" Dick bent over and buried his face in his knees.

"Why didn't you what?" asked Bruce slowly. This was going terrible. Bruce wished he had better people skills. How could he help Dick without coming off as confrontational?

"I understand what you're going through" said Bruce. "When I was about your age, me and my parents went to go see a movie. On our way back we walked through an empty alley for a shortcut to next street where we could catch a cab. Then this guy with a gun jumped out and made my parents give him all their money. And he shot them both. Right in front of me".

Dick looked up at Bruce. Bruce took a deep breath. "When the cops arrived, this Detective Gordon, Commissioner Gordon now, he sat down next to me and he told me this". Dick gave a slight nod so Bruce continued.

"He said "_when I was about your age a drunk driver hit our car, and killed my dad. I was right next to him". _Then he leaned next to me and said "_I know how you feel right now. But I promise you, no matter dark and scary the world might be right now, there will be light!" _I promise you, there will be light, Dick".

To his surprise Dick leaned next to him. "Just, promise me you'll be strong, okay? I know you can get through this" said Bruce.

"I-I s-saw a guy I didn't recognize going in the equipment-I-why didn't I say anything?" cried Dick.

"It's okay, it's okay, what happened is not your fault" said Bruce.

"Bruce Wayne!" called a familiar voice.

"I have to go now" said Bruce to Dick. "Speak of the devil" mumbled Bruce as he looked up to see Commissioner James Gordon.

* * *

Jim looked over everything on the notepad. _Tony Zuko. _He threatened Mr. Hallie and who refused to pay a tax to the mob. Responded by loosening the ropes of the trapeze. Worried Zuko might try to shut Richard Grayson up.

For a moment Jim wondered why he agreed to come down here himself. Then he remembered the victims. The Graysons.

He and Lee Tompkins had helped the Grayson's back in his first year as a detective. Most times when he thought of that _date at the circus_ adventure he thought of his first meeting of the twin child of a snake charmer and fortune teller, Jerome Valeska, who'd murdered his mother.

Oh yes, Jim much preferred to think of the two feuding families starting a physical fight in the middle of the circus show over a literal dead horse. And he much preferred to think of the happy ending of the Romeo and Juliet love story between two of the acrobats.

Now the only one left of either of those families was 12 year old Dick Grayson. The poor child had just seen his parents murdered. Jim looked over at the kid and then immediately looked away.

_I must be seeing things _thought Jim. _There's no way he's here. _Yet when he looked back he saw Bruce Wayne talking to Dick Grayson.

_I give up! _thought Jim as he stomped his foot on the ground. Bruce somehow always managed to show up where he was least expected. How was it that Bruce always happened to accidentally be involved in something or be at a crime scene?

There was the time Galavant wanted to kill the last Wayne so he devised that stupid _Death to the Son of Gotham _plan. That had led to Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska being obsessed with murdering Bruce Wayne.

He'd been taken and replaced by a clone by the Court of Owls who apparently Bruce had been investigating months longer than Jim. He happened to be Ra's Al Ghul's heir (Jim still wasn't sure exactly what that meant). Oh! There was also the time with the Ra's Knife thing.

The point was ever since Jim had known Bruce he'd been showing up everywhere, 80% of the time on accident.

"Bruce Wayne!" called Jim as he walked to him.

Bruce stood up "Hi" he said. Sensing the question before it was asked Bruce answered "I was in the audience. I couldn't leave after this".

Honestly what else could be expected from Bruce Wayne? He'd seen Bruce always try to comfort children. Now he was comforting another boy who'd seen his parents murdered. "I can see why after what happened to you" said Jim.

"When it happened to me it was horrible. But I had you, Alfred, others. What about Dick? Does he have anyone?" asked Bruce sounding very concerned.

"No" said Jim."No family, except one uncle who's a vegetable so can't take care of him. There's a small chance one of the circus people might take him in, but frankly I'm afraid Zuko might try to shut him up. And the chances of people in a circus wanting the responsibility of a 12 year-old boy aren't very high".

"So he's going to have to go to a group home?" asked Bruce.

"Unless I have to find a safe house, yeah" said Jim. "Hopefully he won't need witness protection though" he said.

Bruce got that look in his eyes. Anyone who knew Bruce Wayne well knew that look. "Maybe I can help him?" asked Bruce.

* * *

**A/N Thanks everyone for reading! If anyone has any feedback please review. The reviews are very helpful to me. **


	3. The decision

Selina Kyle had called and explained what happened at the circus event. Alfred still wasn't sure exactly how she knew what happened at the circus, but he was glad she called because when Bruce had called an hour later his frantic explanation of why he would be home so late had made very little sense.

It's not that Alfred didn't notice anything strange about Bruce the day after. He was constantly looking up information on the computer and doing a lot of thinking hard on something.

The next day Bruce began making several of phone calls calls and filling out a lot of paperwork. But Alfred assumed it was something Batman related. He was sure in time Bruce would explain whatever was going on.

However Alfred was not prepared for the explanation he got a few days later. Bruce walked out of the Batcave and called "Alfred, can I talk to you?"

Alfred walked over. "What is it, Master Bruce?" he asked.

Bruce took a deep breath. "Remember how I told you about the Flying Graysons being murdered at the circus a few days ago?"

Well, really it was Selina who'd explained it. Bruce had shouted a few incoherent sentences through a cell phone. Technically Bruce had said _something_ about it. "Yes, I believe I do" said Alfred.

"Well, their son, Richard Grayson, he has no other family" said Bruce. He took another deep breath. "I've decided to take in Dick as a foster son"

_What! _thought Alfred. He remained calm, though.

"When my parents were killed, I had people like you to guide me through those hard times. Dick Grayson deserves the same" Alfred thought of those days back when he'd been Bruce's legal guardian. Oh, Bruce had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"I'll take care of everything, I'll make sure everything is fine" said Bruce. Alfred realized Bruce felt guilty about making Alfred work for _another_ 12 year old boy who'd lost his parents. It was sure true that Bruce had not been easy. Especially in those last few weeks right before Bruce got emancipation. He sure was a hassle.

Now Bruce was a fully grown adult. Even though Alfred was no longer Bruce's legal guardian he still seemed to do just as much chasing him around and dealing with _really_ _really weird_ crime cases. That probably made sense given Bruce was a vigilante who fought crime dressed like a bat.

"Do not treat a child like an inconvenience for me!" said Alfred quickly. Bruce relaxed a little. Alfred didn't care what problems the boy would cause him. But was Bruce sure he was ready for this?

"Master Bruce, you are aware that this is perhaps the largest commitment you could make?" he asked.

"I am" said Bruce.

"Well, when will he arrive here?" asked Alfred.

"At the earliest tomorrow, but I'm not sure exactly" said Bruce.

"Well, we wouldn't want him spending anymore time in that boys home than need be, would we?" asked Alfred. Bruce looked a little relieved at that.

Alfred turned and walked away. He smirked at the thought that hit him next. If Bruce felt guilty about some of the things he did when he was younger right now, just wait until he had to take care of Dick.


	4. A new home

"Hello Mr. Wayne" said Dick. He was grateful that someone nice had taken him in, and that his brief stay at the boys home was finally over. But he really didn't know much about where he was going. He couldn't think of much to say.

"Just call me Bruce" said Bruce Wayne. Dick slowly nodded. Bruce led Dick into the back of a black car. Dick saw that Bruce wasn't lying about being good friends with Commissioner Gordon when the commissioner of the police drove them to see that Dick was brought safely to the house, instead of a social worker.

"Hello, Dick" said Commissioner Gordon kindly.

"Hello" said Dick.

"So living with Bruce Wayne, it'll be an, interesting experience…" said Gordon. "I remember some of the stuff he did when he was a little older than you. Boy, knowing him is an adventure"

Dick was unsure how to respond to that. Bruce looked like he'd been trying to come up with something to say for several minutes but couldn't think of anything. That left Commissioner Gordon to continue the conversation.

"At first I was a little surprised how fast Bruce got through the system, but this is Gotham, and he's Bruce Wayne" said Gordon finally.

Dick understood the _this is Gotham _part but he wasn't really sure what was so special about Bruce Wayne.

"Well yeah, you had a lot more trouble with yours" said Bruce.

"Well you're just trying to take him in as a ward, I was-"

But Commissioner Gordon was cut off when he slammed his foot down on the brake. Dick looked and saw a man in a penguin suit, who had walked out into the middle of the street.

"What the? Bruce did you see that?" asked Gordon.

"Yeah I did!" said Bruce "Do you think that has anything to with Oswald's Penguin by any chance?"

"I don't know. Could be 'bout Cobblepot, could just be some wacko not paying attention to where he's going. It is Gotham" said Gordon. Commissioner Gordon began driving once again.

* * *

Dick hadn't been paying attention to where they were going for most of the ride. All he knew was that he didn't want to get there. He didn't want to continue the life he was going to live without his parents. He didn't want the car to drive forward. He wanted to go backward. Back to that night, so things might turn out differently.

But eventually they did arrive at their destination. Dick and Bruce climbed out of the car. "Here we are" said Bruce gesturing to his home.

Most people in Gotham City lived in a small apartment. If they didn't it was a tiny house shoved between three other tiny houses. On a small island populated by millions of people, with several miles set aside to the wildlife, you wouldn't expect anyone to have a lot of space. You certainly wouldn't expect a large luxurious mansion.

But this was a huge manor. It didn't even look like a house. This was where he was going to live?

Commissioner Gordon, who was getting Dick's duffle bag out of the car (because Dick forgot it) must've noticed Dick's surprise at all new house. He came over to Dick and whispered in his ear "I guess nobody told you, but Bruce actually has a lot of money".

The door on the steps of the manor opened. "Come on in, the three of you. You don't need to be standing out in the cold in November" said some guy with a British accent.

Bruce and Gordon led Dick into the entryway. The inside of the house was as beautiful and luxurious as the outside. Dick had no clue what to say.

A British man with grey hair reached out and shook Dick's hand. "I'm Alfred Pennyworth" said the man.

"He's the Butler" said Bruce. "Don't worry. He can be stern, but he's really pretty nice once you get to know him"

"It's nice to meet you" said Dick.

"Nice to meet you too, Master Dick" said Alfred.

"Come on, let me show you to your room" said Bruce.

* * *

Dick's new bedroom was large with a king size bed, flat screen television, and a balcony from which a view of Gotham City could faintly be seen.

"This was my room when I was your age" said Bruce. He turned to face Dick. He must've seen something in his eyes because Bruce put his hand on Dick's shoulder and said "Look Dick, It's not going to be easy, you have to take it a day at a time. But for however long it takes, you have a home here with us"

Dick was overcome by gratitude. "Thank-you" he said.

"Sir, I believe Master Dick could use some time to settle in" said Alfred. Bruce and Alfred left the room leaving Dick alone.

Dick sat on his bed and opened his duffle bag, which held his small amount of belongings. The first thing he saw was the robin bracelet he'd bought for his mother. He held it in his hand.

At that moment realization washed over him like a wave pulling him out to sea. His parents were really gone. It wasn't all some horrible nightmare. He wouldn't wake up from this.

Alfred had called him Master Dick. He was considered one of the permanent residents now. He was one of the residents of this big beautiful house. It wasn't just a temporary stay anymore, like it had been in the group home. A hard lump grew in his throat.

His new life seemed like it might not be all that bad. But his old life was over. He felt guilt at actually kind of liking his new situation. Which itself made him feel guilty for being at all upset with it.

He was 12, and he'd been taken in by a very nice person. Not to mention that person understood what he was going through. Plus he just happened to be very rich. How many kids like him would kill to be in his position? He was so lucky.

Dick's cheeks felt hot. He tried to convince himself his parents would want him to be happy. That having a new home wasn't a betrayal of his old one. That feeling upset and hesitant was natural. Then his eyes felt watery.

He shut them. He didn't want to do this. He'd done enough crying this week. He didn't need to do any more. Yet, he felt the tears fall.

* * *

**A/N Hey guys, my tablet is currently broken so updates are slow, especially with this particular story. I'm sorry, but I'll update as soon as I can.**


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